>> 20090405

"WE, the 450 women from from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Ireland, Malaysia, Guinea Bissau, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany, USA, Sweden, Spain, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Venezuela, UK, Norway, Indonesia and Timor-Leste meeting in Dili at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pentai Kelapa on March 5th and 6th for the 2nd at the International Women for Peace Conference, under the theme “Women as creative agents for peace building”.

...

Explored and shared issues related to :

Women’s experiences in Peace building and Reconstruction

Women and Politics and Decision Making

Women and Economic Empowerment in Post-Conflict Societies

Justice and Solidarity for Women Survivors (Justice for Women Survivors of War and Gender Base Violence and Interactions between formal and traditional justice)

Impact of Culture and Religion on Women’s Reproductive Rights and Bride Price

Women and Arts in Post-Conflict Societies

...

The Conference is deeply moved by the specific experiences of suffering, trauma and loss caused by war and conflict and its consequences, violence particularly sexual violence, killings and disappearances, terrorism, burning and looting, forced displacement and famine, detention and torture, violations of the laws of war, political trials, sexual violence, violations of the rights of the child, and violations of economic and social rights deprivation of all forms of security of the individual person, family and community, loss of home and property.

...

The nature of conflicts has changed dramatically in the past years. While 100 years ago 90% of the war victims were soldiers and only 10% civilians, now the context is exactly the opposite, with 90% of the victims being civilians. We must be able to end the wars and create true peace, by addressing the challenges of truth and reconciliation, remembering that peace is not only about the absence of war but about human security, about fulfilling human needs – and these include health, economic and social development, democratic governance and also the flourishing or art and culture.”

...

Gender justice is a prerequisite to lasting peace and development. Gender justice includes improved justice for victims of sexual violence during and after the conflict, there are three recommendations: need for reparations, need to stop impunity and need to collect and record the information.

...

Creation of spaces of peace-building: people coming together, acknowledging their grief and suffering and trying to overcome it, and learning to live with it is important for building sustainable peace and stability.

...

Peace dividends are built across religious and ethnic lines to make significant contributions to the peace processes. One of the greatest challenges for women in peace building is to continue seeing each other as sisters and not as enemies, no matter what position women come to hold. The biggest challenge is to build peace from within, to deal with pain and to be able to continue to find reasons to smile and to work together.

...

We have choices on how we make our struggle, and we can choose to struggle without violence – understanding the other person’s perspective.

...

Women continue their role in the development of lasting peace. Their knowledge and efforts can help transform societies and we therefore need to give further opportunity to women in political and economic development. Women have been very active in fighting for sustainable development and lasting peace focusing on state’s provision of health, housing, education and public goods necessary to all citizens. Women also have been creative agents of peace in the sense that they are slowly helping to change attitudes and behaviours. Women organizations are becoming a heritage of countries.

...

HEREBY DECLARE

...

NO MORE, STOP ENOUGH. In the words of the CHEGA, the report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) of Timor-Leste or Chega is Portuguese for ‘no more, stop, enough’, chosen as the title of the CAVR Report because it captures the main message of the victims to the CAVR, that the human rights violations they experienced must never be allowed to recur and that the best way to avoid repetition is not to allow impunity for gender based crimes, crimes against humanity, and war crimes and offences connected with war and conflict to be dealt with under national and international law and measures and to undertake reforms and practical steps to compensate the victim/survivors with reparation, legal and medical support, psycho-social support, social protection and education and livelihood skills development and economic opportunities.

...

The Conference unanimously and firmly supports the view that peace and sustainable development are more attainable when women have a central role and thus calls for an Alliance of Civilizations to mobilize moral, social and financial capital affording women the creative space for bringing in transformational gender perspectives into the peace making and peace building processes.

...

The Conference by this Declaration urges all States draw up plans of action to implement the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 thus reaffirming the important role of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, peace negotiations, peace building, peace keeping, humanitarian response and in post-conflict reconstruction.

...

Women’s participation in peace building efforts brings in new perspectives into peace building processes and ensures a higher degree of inclusion, transparency and ownership in negotiations and agreements for peace.

...

The Conference recognized that poverty and deprivation, denial of human rights and the right to define and express own talents and aspirations, cultural and religious differences may escalate into violent conflicts leads that may be fought and trample over the bodies of women and girls, peace and tranquility and homes and communities. The Conference therefore urges States and Governments to pay particular attention to these and address the conflict triggering issues before they burst into active conflicts. Such conflicts may be avoided through a Government that is open and responsive to the needs of all people within their territory, has participatory, tolerant, inclusive and power sharing approach to democratic governance, promotes the holistic cultural, economic, political and social development of its people ensuring personal, food and social security of its people " (Dated 6 March 2009 | Fonte: Alola Foundation)